During the recent Chinese Grand Prix held at the Shanghai International Circuit, Ferrari found themselves unable to keep up with the pace set by McLaren.
Carlos Sainz, acknowledging the team’s performance shortfall, admitted to a “lack of pace” compared to McLaren during the event. He emphasized the necessity of upgrades tailored for circuits such as the Shanghai International Circuit to address this disparity.
Up until the Chinese Grand Prix, Ferrari had consistently posed a formidable challenge to Red Bull Racing at every event. However, their performance in Shanghai fell short as they struggled to match the pace both in qualifying and during the race.
Charles Leclerc and Sainz managed to secure only sixth and seventh positions in the qualifying session, but their race performance saw a slight improvement as they finished in fourth and fifth places respectively.
The McLaren duo, particularly Lando Norris, demonstrated superior speed throughout the weekend, outpacing both Leclerc and Sainz. Norris’ impressive performance even saw him finish ahead of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to claim a podium spot.
Sainz openly admitted post-race that it had been a challenging weekend for Ferrari, particularly highlighting the team’s pace issues when compared to McLaren.
The Spaniard’s acknowledgment underscores the need for Ferrari to address their performance deficiencies in order to remain competitive in future races.
“It just hasn’t been a very good weekend for us as a team,” Sainz stated. “I think we were just not strong enough this weekend, P6 and P7 in qualifying and clearly also lacking a bit in the race.
“Just a clear lack of pace compared to the McLaren of Norris, and in the end, P4 and P5 given how bad the start went for both cars, and how early I had to pit for the hards to then one-stop from there, P5 actually is a good result given the circumstances.”
The Chinese Grand Prix presented Ferrari with their first significant challenge of the year, following a promising start in the initial four races. Previously, Ferrari had showcased potential and competitiveness on the track.
Their standout performance came at the Australian Grand Prix, where Carlos Sainz claimed victory, marking Ferrari’s strongest showing of the season so far.
When questioned about the necessity of upgrades to sustain their pace, Sainz responded affirmatively, stating, “For this kind of circuit, yes.”
“Here, Suzuka, we need something and in terms of maybe circuits like Australia, we’re better off.
“There’s going to be circuits where the Red Bull is going to be clearly ahead anyway, and then McLaren is going to be stronger.
“There are going to be other circuits like Australia where I think we’re gonna be up there, so it’s very circuit dependent. But clearly, if we want to be stronger at circuits like China, we need a better platform for this kind of track.”
As the Miami Grand Prix approaches, Carlos Sainz anticipates a stronger performance for Ferrari at the upcoming venue, albeit not reaching the level experienced at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit.
“I think so,” expressed Sainz. “Miami, I have a better feeling than here. Not another Australia, but I think Miami should be a bit better for our car.”
